The New York Times had a photo of a hip rapper squeezing an eyepiece in his socket, but T-Pain, pictured, has been wearing this rugged eyepiece - a mono-swim-goggle perhaps? - since at least 2010. He wore it at the MTV Africa Music Awards in Lagos. less

The New York Times had a photo of a hip rapper squeezing an eyepiece in his socket, but T-Pain, pictured, has been wearing this rugged eyepiece - a mono-swim-goggle perhaps? - since at least 2010. He wore it at ... more

Photo: PIUS UTOMI EKPEI, Getty Images

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How not to wear a monocle. First up: No cap or overcoat, unless you want to look like the bad guy in a movie.

How not to wear a monocle. First up: No cap or overcoat, unless you want to look like the bad guy in a movie.

Photo: Popperfoto, Getty Images

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Next up: Mullets won't help. (Photo: Peter Ustinov in "The Love of Four Colonels," 1951).

Next up: Mullets won't help. (Photo: Peter Ustinov in "The Love of Four Colonels," 1951).

Photo: Denis De Marney, Getty Images

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The helmet-monocle look will remind people of Colonel Klink. (Pictured: Werner Klemperer, left, as Colonel Klink, and John Banner as Sergeant Schultz in "Hogan's Heroes," circa 1968.)

The helmet-monocle look will remind people of Colonel Klink. (Pictured: Werner Klemperer, left, as Colonel Klink, and John Banner as Sergeant Schultz in "Hogan's Heroes," circa 1968.)

Photo: Silver Screen Collection, Getty Images

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A top hat, cane and monocle is a classic look - for a legume. (Photo: Mr. Peanut, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, 2013).

A top hat, cane and monocle is a classic look - for a legume. (Photo: Mr. Peanut, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, 2013).

Photo: Noam Galai, Getty Images

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Mr. Peanut's nudist tendencies in the '70s didn't make the monocle/top hat look any less creepy.

Mr. Peanut's nudist tendencies in the '70s didn't make the monocle/top hat look any less creepy.

Photo: Antonia Hille, Getty Images

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Speaking of creepy, the prediction for the next hipster-chic fashion accessory: Ventriloquist dummies with monocles. You read that here first. (Photo: British comedian Claude Dampier with dummy, circa 1900).

Speaking of creepy, the prediction for the next hipster-chic fashion accessory: Ventriloquist dummies with monocles. You read that here first. (Photo: British comedian Claude Dampier with dummy, circa 1900).

Photo: Edward Gooch, Getty Images

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Take fashion cues from a muppet. Count von Count was a sharp-dressed dude, with monocle and cape.

Take fashion cues from a muppet. Count von Count was a sharp-dressed dude, with monocle and cape.

Photo: Kris Connor, Getty Images

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Other monocle rules: Keep medals to a minimum. The world may not be ready for this look yet.

Other monocle rules: Keep medals to a minimum. The world may not be ready for this look yet.

Photo: Archive Photos, Getty Images

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If you're going to do a monocle and purple hat like Penguin from "Batman," hang out with villains more colorful (and more evil) than you.

If you're going to do a monocle and purple hat like Penguin from "Batman," hang out with villains more colorful (and more evil) than you.

Photo: Getty Images

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Of monocles, there are many. There's the free-floater, as modeled on German army general Hans von Seeckt, circa 1918.

Of monocles, there are many. There's the free-floater, as modeled on German army general Hans von Seeckt, circa 1918.

Photo: Hulton Archive, Getty Images

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There's the monocle on a leash, good for people who lose things. It's pictured on British actor George Arliss, circa 1920.

There's the monocle on a leash, good for people who lose things. It's pictured on British actor George Arliss, circa 1920.

Photo: Hulton Archive, Getty Images

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The steampunk monocle. (Photo: TV show "Face Off").

The steampunk monocle. (Photo: TV show "Face Off").

Photo: NBC, Getty Images

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The mono-goggle, in case you need to protect a single eye. (Photo: TV show "Face Off").

The mono-goggle, in case you need to protect a single eye. (Photo: TV show "Face Off").

Photo: NBC, Getty Images

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And the sunglass monocle, for when you want just one eye to be mysterious.

And the sunglass monocle, for when you want just one eye to be mysterious.

Photo: Gerald Smith, Getty Images

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Madonna did the monocle thing a while ago, but people may not have been ready for its comeback at the time. Her photo is pictured at a 2006 exhibit in London.

Madonna did the monocle thing a while ago, but people may not have been ready for its comeback at the time. Her photo is pictured at a 2006 exhibit in London.

Photo: Chris Jackson, Getty Images

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Monocles also walked the runway a few years ago, in this 2007 Paris Fashion Week show. It didn't quite catch on at the time.

Monocles also walked the runway a few years ago, in this 2007 Paris Fashion Week show. It didn't quite catch on at the time.

Photo: Chris Moore/Catwalking, Getty Images

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So monocles make a comeback; what to expect

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The New York Times broke a big piece of non-Crimea news this week. It said the monocle - eyepiece of villains and top-hatted peanuts - has returned as a fashion accessory.

Don't snicker. This was serious. The story triangulated the comeback of the monocle with interviews with a rapper, trend forecaster and cultural historian.

"From the trendy enclaves of Berlin cafes and Manhattan restaurants to gin ads and fashion magazines, the monocle is taking its turn alongside key 21st-century accouterments like sharply tucked plaid shirts and certificates in swine butchering," the New York Times wrote.

Who knew that monocles were ever out? Click the slideshow above to see what you might encounter the next time you find yourself in a trendy enclave.